On The Aurora
by they-call-me-Helga
Summary: It's 1812 and Hermione's world is turned upsidedown when she is stuck on a ship, the 'Aurora' with one of the MOST insufferable men, Lord Draco Malfoy. I have edited it so that it is historically correct. there has been a LOT of changes! Please R&R!


Authors Note:  Before you start reading this story I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Ciara (SpyGirl) who reviewed informing me of all my mistakes and helping me with making it historically correct. I learnt a lot of things when researching the time period and the quality of my story has definitely improved! So if you read this story before I edited it, please read again and review to tell me what you think of the changes. (There are a lot of changes) Also when you review could you also add your age and gender because I want to know who my target audience is. Thank!

There will be no magic as this story has nothing to do with "Harry Potter" or Hogwarts or anything like that. I am only borrowing these two VERY COOL characters for my story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, but the story is COMPLETELY my own!! 

**Title: On The ****Aurora******

**Chapter One**

_June__ 1812_

Hermione stood on the deck of the '_Aurora__'_, leaning on the ship's railing, and let the cool breeze play with her hair. She breathed in the sweet smell of the salty water and listened to the water lap gently on the side of the ship.

This would have been such a perfect day, but she reminded herself why she was really here. Her spirits immediately lowered.

Hermione's parents, Lord and Lady Granger, were sending her to India! _India_! She tried to look at it as an exciting adventure but she had lived in London her whole life and had never stepped out of England before. She would miss her home far too much to think about any adventures.

Worst of all she was being sent to this strange country with her fiancé, Lord Draco Malfoy. Of course her parents _would_ approve of him. He was very wealthy. He owned a number of large estates and earned a good fifteen thousand pounds a year. Not only that but he was ever so handsome. However, the problem with Lord Malfoy was that he knew all this and was so over-bearing and egotistical. Every word that came out of his mouth was about himself and how rich he was.

She remembered the conversation with her parents before she left clearly:

**_~*Flash Back*_**_~_

"Hermione," she heard her mother call from the next room. "Could you please come here for a moment?"

Hermione placed the book down she was reading and stepped into the study where she met her mother, who was sitting in a rather large armchair, and her father who was standing beside her. 

"There is something we need to discuss with you," Her mother started with a stern look upon her face.

Hermione's mind quickly rushed through all the things she had done in the past week that her mother may find disobedient but came up with nothing. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I mother?"

"No, nothing like that. You may relax, Hermione," Her father reassured her. 

"We just want to talk to you about… your future." Lady Granger said slowly.

"What about it?" Hermione felt her stomach drop.

"Well… its just that you are 20 years old now and you're growing into a beautiful young lady," Lady Granger said slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. "And we think it's time that you… well that you should start looking for a husband. Most other girls your age are getting married now and are having families-"

"Oh mother!" Hermione cut her off. "You know how I feel about all that nonsense!"

"Yes, I know but, your father has arranged for a nice young man to come and meet you."

"What?!" Hermione burst out, turning to her father, outraged. "Why would you do that without telling me first? Well, I won't meet him." She crossed her arms over her chest, stubbornly, "Tell him I am ill, and that he cannot come near me because it is contagious!"

"Please Hermione, he is very anxious to see you," her mother pleaded with her. "He asked for you especially." 

"Why would he ask for me if he's never seen me?" She asked suspiciously.

Lord and Land Granger exchanged nervous glances. "Well, when I met his father I produced a picture of you to him and he undoubtedly showed it to his son." Her father explained with a weak smile on his face.

Hermione buried her face into her hands. _This is not happening_!

"Listen, Hermione," Her mother began, carefully. "We're not asking you to marry him. You only have to meet him."

Hermione dropped her hands and glanced up at her mother. She decided to admit defeat. "Fine, when do I meet him?"

"Thursday,"

_Good_! Hermione thought, _I won't have to see him for three days_. But Thursday arrived sooner than she hoped.

Hermione stood across from her mirror, looking herself over and wrinkled her nose in disgust. _Ech_! She thought, _I look horrible._

Her mother caught the sour look on her face. "What is the matter, Hermione?"

"This dress is absolutely hideous, and so uncomfortable!" She complained. Indeed it was. The dress was so tight she could barely breath!

"Nonsense! You look lovely. And this young man will think so too."

_I hope not_, Hermione thought. _Hopefully this man will take one look at me and go running for the hills_. Hermione laughed at the thought. _That's one way to get rid of him_.

Suddenly she heard the bell ring, which signalled the young man's arrival. Nerves began to build up inside of Hermione. She could feel the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach.

Hermione sighed and headed down the stairs. Reaching the bottom step she came face to face with a tall young man with slick blonde hair, broad shoulders, about her age. This man gave her a smirk before bowing.

"You must be Miss Hermione Granger?" He extended his hand, took hold of hers, lifted it up and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Lord Draco Malfoy."

Hermione curtsied politely just like she was taught to. "A pleasure to meet you too, Lord Malfoy." She smiled at him politely though inside she just wanted to roll her eyes. 

It was definitely _not_ a pleasure to be with Lord Draco Malfoy. He followed her around for the rest of day going on and on and _on_ about himself:

"This soup is simply delightful though last year when I went to Italy I tasted quite a few dishes that were so exquisite…" He started when they were having lunch. Then later when they were walking through the garden he would say, "This garden is quite neat though it is rather boring. On my estate I have many exotic flowers planted about everywhere and a nice pathway leading out to a lovely water feature…" Hermione could not stand to bear with him any longer. It took all of her self-control not to scream at him to shut up and storm off to complain to her parents. Instead she huffed, frustrated, feeling trapped. She couldn't wait for the day to end.

Though when the day finally came to an end and Lord Draco Malfoy was about to leave he offered her parents a proposition; to take Hermione with him to India and…to marry her.

Hermione was quite shocked. She stared, mouth hanging, from Lord Malfoy to her parents then back to Malfoy again. Surely Lord and Lady Granger would say no, that she is not allowed out of England, that it would be simply unheard of! But Hermione was even more so shocked when Lord and Lady Granger both agreed with smiling faces.

"Mother!" Hermione screamed once Draco was out the door and riding back home. "How could you do that?! Sending me to India?!"

"Hermione," her mother pleaded, "It is a great opportunity that your father and I will not let you miss. You are going to India and are going to get married!"

"Oh, Mother! I do not want to marry Lord Malfoy!" Hermione was on the verge of crying. She could feel the large lump in her throat and the tears welling up in her eyes. "I want to get married because I'm in _love_, for I find love a very sacred thing. And when I love it will be forever, that my very being will cry out in pain if I we were to be separated. I would _die_ for the man that I love and, unfortunately for Lord Malfoy, I would not sacrifice myself for him. I do not see the point being bound to another person for all eternity like a slave, therefore I refuse to marry him." 

"Hermione!" Her father exclaimed sharply. "Get your head out of the clouds and back to reality! All this talk of love is ridiculous! Lord Malfoy is offering you a lifetime of security and wealth. Why can't you see that _this_ is _true_ love?"

Hermione gasped. Could her father not see that this was hurting her? Why did they not care that she was to be sent to India for goodness knows how long with the man she despised the most? 

 The tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her red cheeks. 

 Her mother stretched out her arms to comfort her daughter but Hermione angrily brushed her mother's arms away and ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door behind her. She lay face down on her bed and cried into her pillow letting out all her hurt and frustration.

**_~* End Of Flash Back*~_**

So this was how she came to be on the '_Aurora_'. Her parents also sent along her nursemaid, Mary, to chaperone her. She had already been on the '_Aurora__'_ with them for a month. Thankfully, Draco's money allowed them to travel first class. She wouldn't be able to stand being in the crowded lower deck with that insufferable man. It was his entire fault that she was stuck on this stupid ship.

She turned and looked over her shoulder. Across the deck, who should happen to be walking over to her but Lord Draco Malfoy himself. Hermione rolled her eyes and groaned inwardly. 

_Here we go_, she thought as he arrived by her side. _Another speech about how many horses he owns and how many countries he has travelled to_.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger," he gave her a smirk as he leant on the ship rail beside her.

Hermione shifted away from him slightly, wanting to keep her distance and stared straight ahead where the sky met the sea, "Lord Malfoy."

Draco caught the solemn expression on her face and looked slightly taken aback. "Did I do something wrong, Miss Granger?"

Hermione decided to ignore his question; she didn't feel like explaining her thoughts to him. "I must ask you what was your reason for coming over here? Is there anything important you wish to tell me because if not I would prefer you to leave me alone and go annoy some other lady on this ship."

"No, Miss Granger, just the pleasure of your company," He said, slightly more aggrieved, the smirk gone without a trace.

"Trust me, Lord Malfoy, I find no pleasure in being in your company. And I doubt that you find any pleasure in mine," she said turning to face him. She looked right into his grey eyes and placed her hands on her hips as she said, "And must you continue to call me '_Miss Granger' _all the time? Could you please, for once, call me by my first name? After all in the unfortunate event that we are to be man and wife…" 

"Oh…"Draco nodded, beginning to understand, "Is that what this is all about? You don't want to marry? That's preposterous, Miss Granger, all proper young English women wed."

"Yes, well… maybe I don't want to." She furrowed her brow as she turned back to look across the ocean. "And why must we travel all the way to India?"

"I have some business to attend to there, nothing of your concern." Draco said, giving an uncomfortable shrug.

"Nothing of my concern?!" She cried, outraged. "You drag me away from my friends and family, away from my _home_, half way round the world to some strange country where we are to be _married_ and you say it's none of my concern?! I have every right to know what your business is about and I demand that you tell me right now!!" She crossed her arms and fixed him with a seething glare, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hermione, darling, I just have to meet up with a few men to discuss… some issues." He said uneasily, shifting his eyes. "Now don't worry your pretty little head, it's nothing. Why don't you lie down and I'll find your nurse maid to fetch you a book."

Draco sighed, running a hand through his slick blonde hair, as he turned away from Hermione.   

She watched him leave and couldn't help feeling a twinge of suspicion. She vowed she would find out what that Malfoy was keeping from her… if it was the last thing she'd do!


End file.
